For many years recreational fishermen have used fish hooks with bait as the primary means of catching fish from oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. While there are many varieties of fish hooks, there are a few common features. Fish hooks will always have some means of attachment to a line (usually the eye of the hook on a shank) and will have an opposite end which "hooks" around substantially in a semi-circle. The free end of the hooked semi-circle will typically be sharply pointed, and the point will be adapted with a barb. The point and barb permits the flesh of a fish to pass easily over the hook but then become snagged on the barb so that the fish will be trapped on the hook.
Fish lures or bait have always been considered as a critical element in the art of fishing. Fishing lures have been introduced in many sizes and shapes. Worms, frogs, shrimp, small fish, and an assortment of various insects are the most popular forms of bait. The bait or lure has been modified to become more life-like and perform more natural movements in the water by adding spinners, lips and flaps. The result has been that the lure has produced a mechanical or repetitive swimming action as it is pulled through the water. The problem associated with this approach is that live organisms have a random action or motion. In addition, having a life-like bait would not induce the fish to bite if it were not hungry.
Research has proven that biting fish actually cause an action similar to inhaling. In most instances fish bite the front or the head of the fish. The fish approaches the unsuspecting fish flaring its gills sucking in water, fish, and line. Most lures or bait are designed to be reeled through the water thereby, requiring a taunt line. Therefore, when the fish attempts to create the inhaling action and sucks the lure or bait into its mouth. The taunt line pulls it out. Necessitating conventional lures to incorporate additional hooks on the body of the lure. Placement of these hooks are either at the rear or belly area of the lure. More particularly these lures or bait have a specific gravity which is either more or less than that of water causing the bait to have a tendency to float on top of the water or sink to the bottom. Thus, requiring that the line be weighted or the addition of floaters.
In an attempt to create a more natural swim effect, the fishermen must reel the weighted lure through the water. The fishing lures have been designed with appendages swivels flaps, and spinning blades in order to create a movement that appears life-like. All of the above inhibit the natural, motion, and effect and does not create natural movement. As a result of these attempts to create a more natural movement in the water, fishing lures have had to take on a more cartoonish appearance. Because of this appearance fish often ignore the conventional lures and move on.
Fish hooks are also adapted for the use of bait. The bait must be secured to the hook during the casting of the line and hook and remain on upon impact with the water. The bait should also be positioned in such a manner as to remain near enough to the hook point and barb so that a fish biting the bait will also take the hook point and barb.
One popular feature of fish hooks is the incorporation of an apparatus to protect the may be within waters to be fished. A popular form of such weed protection comprises an elongated "U" shaped formation of wire. Such extends from a point near the eye of the hook with the "U" end adapted to cover the point of hook and hold its place until pushed off the hook point when depressed. The resistance of the spring wire weed guard should be minimal so that a fish attempting to "take the bait" will encounter no resistance when its mouth attempts to close over the hook. This particular form of weedless hook tends to work properly only if it retains its original shape. In addition, it requires an apparatus which substantially complicates the manufacture and increase the cost of the hook.
The weed guard must be precisely and carefully positioned on both the shank and the hook so that it fits properly. The material for the guard apparatus must also be durable and non-corrosive because the hook and its weed guard will only be of value as long as all parts of the hook are operating.
A recent example of one of these more elaborate weed guards is U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,946, issued to Fusco apparatus incorporates a carefully positioned and rigidly attached weed guard base near the eye of the hook, together with a hook-positioning apparatus (which in the case of Fusco includes a separate spring wire attachment). It can be seen that the area between the point of the hook and the eye of the hook is protected by the weed guard apparatus so that loose impediments passing by the hook or through which the hook is passing will be discouraged from making contact with the point or barb of the hook.
A more simple invention is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,318, issued to Santo, et al on Sep. 20, 1971. In the Santo hook a weed-guarding band can be placed within the barb of a hook, passed through the closed eye of the hook, and then connected to another barb along the shank of the hook. Accordingly, Santo appears very much like other fish hooks except that additional barbs must be placed along the shank of the hook. Such barbs do overly complicate the manufacture of the fish hook. In addition, Santo et al. has to double loop the band through the eye of the hook. Thus, making it a difficult task to pass a line through the eye of the hook. Requiring either an enormous eye on the hook or the use of a tool.
Additionally, the extra barb itself to some extent defeats the purpose of affording the weedless protection since it offers the opportunity for a snag. More importantly, the prior art hook and weed-guard arrangements have been prone to dislodging or slippage, because the shape of the hook and point of the barb create an opportunity for the weedguard to be hit by underwater objects. The placement of the weedguard at the front of the hook is in direct line with the direction the bait is being pulled. Another aspect is that every time the weedguard is disengaged while fishing you loose the weedguard, which adds significant costs to the fisherman. Finally, the act of passing the band through the small eye of the hook is a very difficult maneuver, requiring tools and significant manual dexterity. It is another of the minute tasks which prolong the period required to get ready at the expense of fishing time.
What is needed but not provided in the prior art is a fish hook with a removable banded weed guard protection which is simple to manufacture, safe, and yet effective. A banded weed guard that is retained when a fish is caught and has a normal sized eye. Additionally, what is needed is a bait or fish lure having a life-like appearance, random body movements and random directional action. A fish lure that has the ability to induce fish to bite even though they are not hungry. Finally, it would be to the advantage to the fisherman to have a bait to hook arrangement which increases the bite to hook ratio.